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Sandburg Home, campgrounds reopen

DSS funding restored

Celia Hargraves, 8, and Whitfield Stafford, 6, pet goats at the Carl Sandburg Home as the historic site reopened on Thursday after being closed due to the federal government shutdown. Essential personal who were kept on during the shutdown took care of the goats while the site was closed.

Published: Friday, October 18, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 9:20 p.m.

The goats at Carl Sandburg Home charged volunteers in excitement when the caretakers returned to work Thursday morning.

With the end of the federal shutdown, employees returned to work to begin catching up after a 16-day furlough. At the Sandburg Home, Superintendent Tyrone Brandyburg was glad to be back and have visitors return.

“I think the biggest thing was the lack of opportunity to let people come visit the Carl Sandberg Home and learn about Carl Sandburg and also enjoy their National Park Service,” Brandyburg said.

He spent time at home with his family during his furlough and was confident that congressional leaders would find a solution.

During the shutdown, 17 of the Sandburg Home's 20 employees were furloughed. The historic site's 150 volunteers were also told they could not report to work for safety reasons.

Rangers Sarah Perschall and Janene Donovan were deemed “essential staff” to manage the goat herd. A maintenance employee was on site to manage the fire suppression and security systems, as well as oversee facilities.

Perschall said the lack of visitors caused a change in the goats' behavior.

“They were definitely coming up to us and nudging us a little more,” Perschall said. “You'd be down petting one and then several would come over and be looking for that attention too; our goats enjoy people. By the second week, they were definitely missing their people.”

Volunteer Kathy MacNeill said even their barn cat, Tiger, was looking for attention when he is usually hiding during visiting hours.

“We wanted to be open,” Perschall said. “This is our busiest month; we serve up to 400 visitors a day, and just knowing that we were turning people away was very disheartening to us.”

Employees were unable to access their work e-mail during the shutdown. Perschall said everyone is currently playing catch-up and handling the more administrative needs. Visitors were back to their normal numbers by midmorning.

Bridgette Payne and her friend, Lauren Hargraves, came with their children from Greenville, S.C. Payne said they had planned their trip for Thursday prior to the shutdown and was glad everything worked out so perfectly.

“I just looked and said oh, they should be open because the shutdown is over,” Payne said. “It's just a fun place to go and the kids love to see the goats; we come three to four times a year.”

Cradle, campgrounds open

The Cradle of Forestry, a private nonprofit contracted through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. reopened to a slow rainy morning.

Interpretive Specialist Cindy Carpenter said everyone was trying to get their feet back on the ground.

“I am just glad to be back really; this is something that people have been very aware of, and it's been good to see that understanding,” Carpenter said.

The campgrounds under the Cradle of forestry are also open to the public again.

The Davidson River campground is fully operational with utilities, according to Adam DeWitte, director of education for the Cradle of Forestry. He said those looking for RV hookups should go to the Davidson River Campground.

The North Mills River and Kuykendall campgrounds are reopened until the end of the season on Oct. 31. Since the end of the season was approaching at the time of the shutdown, all utilities for the site have been cut off. Port-o-potties will be available for campers.

“I would encourage people to make a reservation to ensure that they get a good campsite,” DeWitte said. “Hopefully they have not made reservations somewhere.”

According to an employee at the local Farm Service Agency, the office is open and able to assist farmers. Henderson County Soil and Conservation District employees have also been able to move back into their offices within the USDA building.

DSS

The Henderson County Department of Social Services received word from the state that there would be no lapse in funding for child care services.

DSS Director Eric Bush said all county directors learned during a statewide conference call Thursday afternoon that all funding had been restored.

During the shutdown, DSS had eight open staff positions that were put on hold.

“There were a lot of uncertainties,” Bush said. “We were ready to make offers to our top candidates on some; I am just glad it only lasted (16) days.”

<p>The goats at Carl Sandburg Home charged volunteers in excitement when the caretakers returned to work Thursday morning. </p><p>With the end of the federal shutdown, employees returned to work to begin catching up after a 16-day furlough. At the Sandburg Home, Superintendent Tyrone Brandyburg was glad to be back and have visitors return. </p><p>“I think the biggest thing was the lack of opportunity to let people come visit the Carl Sandberg Home and learn about Carl Sandburg and also enjoy their National Park Service,” Brandyburg said. </p><p>He spent time at home with his family during his furlough and was confident that congressional leaders would find a solution. </p><p>During the shutdown, 17 of the Sandburg Home's 20 employees were furloughed. The historic site's 150 volunteers were also told they could not report to work for safety reasons. </p><p>Rangers Sarah Perschall and Janene Donovan were deemed “essential staff” to manage the goat herd. A maintenance employee was on site to manage the fire suppression and security systems, as well as oversee facilities. </p><p>Perschall said the lack of visitors caused a change in the goats' behavior. </p><p>“They were definitely coming up to us and nudging us a little more,” Perschall said. “You'd be down petting one and then several would come over and be looking for that attention too; our goats enjoy people. By the second week, they were definitely missing their people.”</p><p>Volunteer Kathy MacNeill said even their barn cat, Tiger, was looking for attention when he is usually hiding during visiting hours.</p><p>“We wanted to be open,” Perschall said. “This is our busiest month; we serve up to 400 visitors a day, and just knowing that we were turning people away was very disheartening to us.”</p><p>Employees were unable to access their work e-mail during the shutdown. Perschall said everyone is currently playing catch-up and handling the more administrative needs. Visitors were back to their normal numbers by midmorning. </p><p>Bridgette Payne and her friend, Lauren Hargraves, came with their children from Greenville, S.C. Payne said they had planned their trip for Thursday prior to the shutdown and was glad everything worked out so perfectly. </p><p>“I just looked and said oh, they should be open because the shutdown is over,” Payne said. “It's just a fun place to go and the kids love to see the goats; we come three to four times a year.”</p><p><b>Cradle, campgrounds open</b> </p><p>The Cradle of Forestry, a private nonprofit contracted through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. reopened to a slow rainy morning. </p><p>Interpretive Specialist Cindy Carpenter said everyone was trying to get their feet back on the ground. </p><p>“I am just glad to be back really; this is something that people have been very aware of, and it's been good to see that understanding,” Carpenter said. </p><p>The campgrounds under the Cradle of forestry are also open to the public again. </p><p>The Davidson River campground is fully operational with utilities, according to Adam DeWitte, director of education for the Cradle of Forestry. He said those looking for RV hookups should go to the Davidson River Campground. </p><p>The North Mills River and Kuykendall campgrounds are reopened until the end of the season on Oct. 31. Since the end of the season was approaching at the time of the shutdown, all utilities for the site have been cut off. Port-o-potties will be available for campers.</p><p>“I would encourage people to make a reservation to ensure that they get a good campsite,” DeWitte said. “Hopefully they have not made reservations somewhere.”</p><p>According to an employee at the local Farm Service Agency, the office is open and able to assist farmers. Henderson County Soil and Conservation District employees have also been able to move back into their offices within the USDA building. </p><p><b>DSS</b></p><p>The Henderson County Department of Social Services received word from the state that there would be no lapse in funding for child care services. </p><p>DSS Director Eric Bush said all county directors learned during a statewide conference call Thursday afternoon that all funding had been restored. </p><p>During the shutdown, DSS had eight open staff positions that were put on hold. </p><p>“There were a lot of uncertainties,” Bush said. “We were ready to make offers to our top candidates on some; I am just glad it only lasted (16) days.”</p>